Dwarf Fortress Storytelling Guide: From Gameplay to Fiction
Welcome to the ultimate guide for turning your Dwarf Fortress adventures into compelling, readable fiction. Whether you’ve just lost your first fortress to a goblin siege or you’re managing a multi-year dynasty, this guide will help you capture those emergent narratives and transform them into stories that captivate readers—even those who’ve never heard of Dwarf Fortress.
Why Tell Dwarf Fortress Stories?
Dwarf Fortress is a game of emergent storytelling. Every fortress generates unique tales: legendary dwarves performing impossible feats, catastrophic failures born from tiny mistakes, and moments of triumph carved out of chaos. The game doesn’t tell you these stories—you live them. This guide helps you tell them.
Your stories will:
- Preserve memories of incredible playthroughs
- Share the magic of Dwarf Fortress with non-players
- Transform raw gameplay into art
- Build a community of storytellers
Terminology Guide: Dwarf Fortress for Non-Players
Before diving into storytelling, here’s a primer on key terms readers unfamiliar with Dwarf Fortress need to understand:
Core Concepts
Fortress A dwarven settlement you build and manage. Think of it as your main character—it has a personality, history, and fate. Fortresses can thrive for decades or collapse in moments.
Dwarves The protagonists of your stories. Each dwarf has a name, skills, personality traits, and history. They fall in love, go insane, become heroes, or die ignominiously.
Mode: Fortress Mode The primary play mode where you manage a fortress in real-time (paused or unpaused). This is where your stories happen.
Gameplay Mechanics
Mood (Fey Mood) When a dwarf is seized by inspiration, they enter a “fey mood”—a creative frenzy. They might create a legendary artifact (masterwork) or demand impossible resources. If denied, they can tantrum, break, or go berserk. This is storytelling gold.
Legend A dwarf or artifact of exceptional renown. Legends might be legendary warriors who’ve defeated entire armies, or legendary crafters who’ve created artifacts of immense beauty and power.
Artifact A unique, legendary item created by a dwarf in a fey mood or possessed of historical significance. Artifacts can be anything: a gem encrusted crown, an adamantine war hammer, or a soap made from a dragon’s blood.
Conflict & Disaster
Siege An invasion by goblins, dwarves, or other factions. High-stakes military conflict.
Tantrum When a dwarf’s needs go unmet (sleeping, eating, happiness), they can have an emotional meltdown. This can cascade into fortress-wide disaster.
Tragedy/Fun Dwarves die, fortresses collapse, and plans go hilariously wrong. This is the source of the best stories.
Miscellaneous
Legendary (Skill) A dwarf who’s maximized a skill (mining, fighting, crafting, etc.) and becomes extraordinarily talented.
Strange Mood Similar to a fey mood but with different mechanics. A dwarf might become a necromancer, vampire, or perform other eldritch acts.
Webs/Webs of Intrigue The complex social relationships between dwarves: marriages, friendships, rivalries, and grudges.
Part 1: Collecting Your Story Data
Before you write, gather the raw materials. Use the Dwarf Fortress Story Template (in your Obsidian vault) to systematically record gameplay data.
Key Data to Capture
1. Fortress Profile
- Fortress name
- Founded: [date]
- Population: [current]
- Map feature: mountain, volcano, forest, etc.
- Current year/season
2. Major Events (Timeline) List 3-5 pivotal moments in chronological order:
- When it happened (in-game year)
- What happened (brief description)
- Who was involved
- What changed
Example:
Year 123, Spring: Urist McForgemaster entered a fey mood
and created the legendary "Spire of Eternal Flame," a
masterwork adamantine crown. The artifact became the
fortress's most treasured possession.
Year 125, Autumn: Goblin siege arrived. Urist led the
military defense personally, killing 47 goblins before
taking a crossbow bolt to the spine. He survived but
became catatonic.
3. Legendary Dwarves For each notable dwarf (up to 3-5 for a short story):
- Name
- Profession/specialty (warrior, smith, miner, etc.)
- Key trait or personality quirk
- Major accomplishment or failure
- Current status (alive, dead, legendary, broken, etc.)
4. Locations & Landmarks
- Grand hall, throne room, shrine, workshop, etc.
- Why it matters to the story
- Visual description (if you have screenshots)
5. Artifacts & Treasures
- Name and type
- Creator (if known)
- What makes it special
6. Conflicts & Stakes
- What was threatened?
- What was lost or gained?
- Emotional impact
7. The Central Question What is the core tension your story explores? Examples:
- Can a single dwarf save a fortress from collapse?
- What happens when ambition becomes obsession?
- How do you recover from catastrophic failure?
Part 2: Narrative Structure
Transform your gameplay data into a story arc. Use this simple formula:
Story Arc: Setup → Conflict → Climax → Resolution
Setup (Opening)
- Introduce the fortress and its dwarves
- Establish the stakes and the central question
- Create atmosphere and tone
- Word count: 15-25% of total
Example hook:
“Stellarim had stood for three generations, a beacon of dwarven prosperity carved into the mountainside. Its halls gleamed with gold and adamantine. Its forges burned hot. But in the heart of the fortress, in a small stone room deep beneath the surface, Urist McForgemaster was losing his mind.”
Conflict (Rising Action)
- Introduce complications and obstacles
- Show dwarves responding to pressure
- Build tension through scenes and decisions
- Weave in personality, dialogue, humor
- Word count: 50-60% of total
Climax (Peak Tension)
- The moment of highest stakes
- A choice, battle, or revelation
- Everything converges
- Word count: 10-15% of total
Resolution (Falling Action & Ending)
- Aftermath and consequences
- How the fortress and its dwarves change
- What the story means
- Word count: 15-20% of total
Part 3: Storytelling Techniques
Technique 1: Show, Don’t Tell
Instead of: “Urist was upset.” Try: “Urist’s hands shook as he stared at the orders. Thirty more dwarves had arrived in the caravan. Thirty mouths to feed. Thirty souls with needs he couldn’t meet.”
Technique 2: Use Sensory Details
Dwarf Fortress is grim and grotty. Lean into it.
- Sights: The endless stone, the glow of magma, blood on the floor, ores glinting in torchlight
- Sounds: Picks striking stone, the hiss of forges, screams, the clang of armor
- Smells: Sweat, metal, decay, stone dust
- Textures: The coarse feel of stone, cold metal, sticky blood
- Tastes: Stale bread, ale, desperation
Technique 3: Give Dwarves Personality Through Dialogue
Dwarves in Fortress Mode don’t speak, but your story can give them voice.
"We need more beds," Urist said flatly.
"We don't have the space," the overseer replied.
"Then make space. Mine deeper."
"The dwarves are exhausted."
"So am I."
Technique 4: Use Humor & Irony
Dwarf Fortress stories thrive on dark humor and the absurd. A single mistake cascading into disaster is inherently funny.
“The legendary miners broke through into a cavern filled with forgotten beasts. In the chaos, someone left a door open. The fortress cats, having nothing better to do, followed the retreating dwarves up seventeen levels, stopping only when they reached the throne room where the baron sat in contemplation. He was very upset about the cats.”
Technique 5: Build Atmosphere
Match your tone to the story. A fortress in decline feels different than one in its golden age.
- Golden Age: Hope, pride, confidence
- Survival: Tension, desperation, improvisation
- Collapse: Chaos, loss, grim determination
Technique 6: Create Emotional Stakes
Don’t just describe what happened—explain why it matters.
“Urist McForgemaster wasn’t just any dwarf. He was the one who saved the fortress during the first siege. He trained every soldier. He had a wife and three children who believed he was invincible. And now he lay in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, staring at the ceiling with eyes that saw nothing.”
Technique 7: Use Specific Details
Generic descriptions feel flat. Dwarf Fortress is full of specific, weird details—use them.
Instead of: “The fortress was under attack.” Try: “The goblins came from the east, three squads of them, their leather armor marked with the symbol of the Iron Throne. They carried wooden spears and steel swords—steel stolen from their own civilization, melted down and reforged. It was insulting.”
Part 4: Integrating Visuals
Dwarf Fortress’s ASCII art and your fort screenshots are powerful tools. Use them strategically.
Types of Visuals to Include
1. Fortress Map/Layout Include a screenshot of your fortress (zoomed out) showing key locations. Annotate it if possible.
2. Character Portraits Some players create or commission character art for legendary dwarves. If you have these, feature them.
3. Screenshots of Key Moments A screenshot of the moment goblins breach the walls, or of your legendary artifact, adds authenticity.
4. ASCII Art Raw Dwarf Fortress ASCII can be embedded in a code block for flavor:
Legend: @ = dwarf, # = wall, . = floor, ~ = magma
#####
#...#
#.@.#
#...#
#####
How to Integrate Visuals
- Place visuals near related text
- Add captions explaining what you’re showing
- Use visuals to break up long text blocks
- Don’t overload—one image per 300-500 words is a good ratio
Part 5: Using the Obsidian Template
The Dwarf Fortress Story Template is designed to guide you through story creation step-by-step.
Template Structure
Frontmatter (automatically filled):
title: [Your Story Title]
date: [Creation Date]
tags: dwarf-fortress, storytelling, [custom tags]
excerpt: [One-sentence hook under 160 characters]
word_count_target: [depends on story complexity]Gameplay Data Form (fill in as you play):
- Fortress profile
- Timeline of events
- Character profiles
- Locations
- Artifacts
- Central question
Story Scaffolding (fill in section by section):
- Opening hook
- World/fortress introduction
- Character introductions (with conditional prompts)
- Rising action (with scene beats)
- Climax
- Resolution
- Conclusion/reflection
Conditional Prompts: If your story includes a legendary dwarf, artifact, or major battle, the template guides you to add relevant details.
How to Use the Template
- Capture gameplay data first. Record events, dwarves, and moments as they happen in-game.
- Complete the form in the template with all your data.
- Choose your story angle. What’s the central question or theme?
- Fill in one section at a time. Start with the opening, then move through the story arc.
- Use the template’s prompts as reminders to add sensory details, dialogue, and emotion.
- Edit and refine once you have a draft.
Part 6: Sample Story
Here’s a complete example of a Dwarf Fortress story to inspire you:
The Fall of Stellarim
Opening
Three generations ago, Urist McThorgrim led the first party of settlers into the mountainside. He found a vein of adamantine and made his fortune. His children built halls of marble and gold. His grandchildren raised armies. By Year 123 of the Third Age, Stellarim stood as the greatest fortress in the known world—or so its nobility believed.
But fortresses, like dwarves, are fragile things.
The Seed of Madness
In the spring of Year 124, Urist McForgemaster, seventh-generation descendant of the original Urist McThorgrim, entered a fey mood. He was a master of craftsmanship, skilled in adamantine working and artifact creation. For three months, he locked himself in his workshop deep beneath the fortress. The forges burned night and day. Dwarves hauled raw materials in, and no one came out.
When he emerged, he carried the Spire of Eternal Flame—an ornate crown of adamantine, each facet encrusted with rubies and fire opals. It was, without question, the greatest artifact ever created in Stellarim. The fortress celebrated. The baron himself placed the crown in the vault of honor, and every dwarf in Stellarim felt the weight of its presence—the weight of immortal fame.
Urist McForgemaster was now legendary.
But legend, it seemed, came with a price. Three months later, his wife gave birth to twins. He loved them desperately. Then, one winter morning, he woke to find his wife dead—a simple infection, easily treatable, but she had not sought help. No one knew why. In his grief, Urist descended into the lower levels of the fortress and did not return for weeks.
The Siege
The goblin army came in autumn of Year 125. Thirty soldiers, well-armed, carrying siege equipment. They circled Stellarim’s walls, and the fortress gates sealed.
The military commander, a battle-hardened female dwarf named Edna Ironhelm, organized the defense. But Edna had never fought a true siege before. She made mistakes. She overextended her forces. Three soldiers died in the first skirmish, and panic spread through the fortress like poison.
That was when Urist McForgemaster emerged from the depths.
He was no soldier—his legendary skills lay in craftsmanship, not combat. But he had been forging weapons in his isolation, and he understood the geometry of death in a way his peers did not. He took the militia personally. He led them through the siege tunnels. He killed seventeen goblins in pitched combat, his face spattered with blood, his breath ragged, laughing like a madman.
The surviving goblins fled.
Stellarim was saved.
The Aftermath
They celebrated for a week. The taverns overflowed with ale. Urist McForgemaster was honored as the savior of the fortress. The baron offered him titles, land, anything he desired.
But Urist accepted nothing.
Instead, he returned to his workshop. He began forging weapons again—not masterworks, not legendary items, but simple steel swords, spears, and armor. He trained new soldiers. He set up defensive positions. He prepared for a siege that might never come.
When his brother asked why he worked so tirelessly, Urist’s response was hollow:
“It will come again. Sieges always do. When they do, we’ll be ready. And if we’re not, at least we’ll die fighting.”
Reflection
Years later, when Urist McForgemaster finally passed away—not in combat, but peacefully in his sleep—the fortress mourned. He was given a tomb of honor in the deepest chamber, near the vault of adamantine. The Spire of Eternal Flame rested on the pedestal above his tomb.
But Stellarim never truly recovered from the lessons Urist taught it. The fortress became grimly efficient, all joy drained, all play abandoned. It became a war machine. And while it never fell to siege, it never prospered again either.
Some said Urist’s legendary status cursed the fortress. Others said he simply saw too clearly the fragility of civilization, the single thread upon which all prosperity hung. Either way, his presence lingered long after his death—a reminder that heroes, like all dwarves, are mortal, and their victories often carry the seeds of future sorrows.
Part 7: Final Tips
- Write regularly. Capture stories while your memory is fresh.
- Embrace failure. Your worst moments make the best stories.
- Slow down for emotional beats. Let readers feel the weight of important moments.
- Trust your reader. You don’t need to explain every mechanic—context makes it clear.
- Have fun. If you’re not enjoying the process, your reader won’t enjoy the story.
- Share your work. Post on forums, blogs, or communities. Other Dwarf Fortress players will understand and appreciate your stories.
Resources
- The Dwarf Fortress Story Template: Use this Obsidian template to structure and organize your stories.
- Community: r/dwarffortress on Reddit, Bay12Forums, and the Dwarf Fortress Discord are full of storytellers and eager readers.
- Inspirations: Read stories from other players. Analyze what works and why.
Now go forth and let your fortress tell its tale.
May your fortresses stand tall, your dwarves fight bravely, and your stories captivate audiences for generations to come.